


Mostly Human

by Jui_Imouto_Chan



Series: The Mostly Human AU [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Adorable Connor, Alternate Universe - Human, Android Connor, Bottom Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Collin is 60, Conan is 900, Connor-centric, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), First proper AI-equipped Android Connor, Formatted from Tumblr, Hank Swears A Lot, Human everyone else, Lots of people are related, M/M, Most of the chapters are short, Multi, North is a lesbian bc of course, PLOT? WHAT'S THAT?, So it's uh, This is a self indulgent au, a little weird to read, cursing, hank is a dad, heh., more like, mostly human, they're twins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-23 22:58:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17089340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jui_Imouto_Chan/pseuds/Jui_Imouto_Chan
Summary: Connor is the first ever android with a proper AI, made by Kamski himself. He’s for personal use, an assistant in Hank Anderson’s Household.He’s modeled after Hank’s twin sons, Conan (RK900) and Collin (RK800-60).It's a self-indulgent AU where I get to ship Connor with literally everyone.





	1. Chapter 1

The first android intended to be used in a home, and he’s sent to Hank. Of course.

  * (Hank’s going to make sure he puts poison in Kamski’s drink during their next poker night with Carl.)
  * To make things worse, he’s modeled after his adoptive twin sons, Collin and Conan.



Not too long after the RK800—Kamski said to call him Connor—arrives at his home, his sons return from their individual studies abroad.

  * Conan went to Japan, finding himself to be popular amongst the women, despite his lack of interest.
  * (He made a note to himself about getting his hearing checked once he returned. The shouts of “Ikemen!” almost haunt him.)
  * Collin, meanwhile, went off to France, much to the jealousy of Carl’s son, Markus.
  * (“He doesn’t even  _understand_  art!” The dark man cried out in whiny outrage, pointing his finger accusingly at the brunet. Collin smirked, irking Markus further. “Perfect opportunity to learn.”)



Hank found himself unnerved by Connor’s presence, at first. The android is expressive in the ways his sons are not, and it was…strange, to think that this piece of plastic would have more human traits than his boys.

  * Connor curls up around Sumo affectionately, the way his late son, Cole, once would.
  * Connor hums as he makes breakfast, swaying his hips and tapping his foot to a tune that wasn’t playing.
  * Connor is teasing where his sons are stoic. Hank gets used to it, even appreciates it.



Carl and Markus come over to meet Connor.

  * Markus absolutely  _adores_  Connor. Hank is like, 87% sure the guy is gay for his android.
  * Hank is also  _never_  letting Markus bring his band, Jericho, to his house while Connor is there again.



Collin and Conan come home, knock on the door, and out comes Connor in an apron looking absolutley adorable.

  * They were not ready.
  * They were mildly surprised when Connor picked up their heavy ass luggage with no trouble. Like, his expression was still pleasant and curious while he was carrying all five suitcases.
  * Conan and Collin feel mildly narcissistic for finding Connor as attractive as they do.
  * But then they realize they dgaf because who cares



Gavin has to stop by to talk to Hank about a case, and he’s greeted by Connor answering the door, too.

  * He hates androids because his cousin, Kamski, wouldn’t shut up about the concept of them while they were growing up.
  * But damn.
  * His cousin did a good job
  * But he wouldn’t admit that to anyone and just tries to play it cool (read: act like an asshole) around Connor




	2. Chapter 2

Connor can eat things.

  * When he’s running low on power he can eat and convert it into energy—nothing is wasted.
  * He loves all kinds of foods, but foods of extremes (exceptionally sweet, sour, spicy, etc.) get the best reactions out of him.
  * Collin and Conan will tell him to taste things specifically because of this. When Connor scrunches up his face at something sour, or flush and have his tongue hanging out of his mouth from something spicy, the two can’t help but stare.
  * And then they gave him something sweet and have to excuse themselves  _quickly_.



Markus comes up with any excuse he can to visit.

  * He once said that he wanted to teach Connor how to play piano.
  * He had Connor sit on his lap and then wrapped himself around Connor, fingers resting on the android’s fingers to help him grasp the concept.
  * Connor already knew how to, but when Markus whispered to “just go with it”, he shrugged and did as told.
  * When Connor shifted slightly in place, Markus may or may not have screamed.
  * Hank burst into the room to see Connor kneeling in front of Markus, trying to placate the suddenly red-faced man.
  * Markus was trying to move Connor far away from his lap, and Hank pitied the fool.



Connor takes Carl for a walk in the park.

  * Connor asks him so many questions and Carl is happy to indulge him with answers.
  * They get some ice cream and Carl has to glare at the vendor leering at Connor.
  * They find an area full of dogs and Connor’s expression makes Carl paint five paintings when he gets home.
  * It‘s just so adorable and he feels like that father that takes pictures of his kid every chance he gets.
  * He keeps trying to get Markus to tap that so that he can finally have Connor as his official son.
  * If Markus happens to be head over heels for the boy, then that’s just a bonus.
  * He’d make Markus marry him regardless, he enjoys Connor’s presence so much



Connor joins the precinct after a while.

  * Conan and Collin spend a lot of time at the DPD building while Hank is working.
  * Connor gets lonely so he visits them one day.
  * Fowler tries to tell him that he shouldn’t be there, but Connor mentions that he was Hank’s caretaker.
  * Fowler just grumbles about there being another troublesome Anderson as he begrudgingly lets him hang around.



Gavin chokes on his donut when he sees Connor there.

  * He falls to the ground. Practically dying.
  * Connor helps him not die.
  * He’s mildly delirious afterwards.
  * He asks Connor if he wants to go out for coffee
  * But Connor thinks that he means to get him coffee.
  * So he does.
  * Gavin is out of his daze before Connor can give it to him, and he just walks away.
  * Connor holds out the coffee even after Gavin leaves, so Chris, taking pity on him, grabs it.
  * After he spends a few days in the precinct, it’s discovered that Kamski made him a really good detective.
  * They only call him in when it’s necessary tho.



Connor is the one who gives baths to Sumo.

  * But he actually gets  _in_  the tub with Sumo.
  * _Naked_
  * Neither he nor Sumo care about nudity so it doesn’t affect them.
  * But Conan entered the bathroom to brush his teeth one morning.
  * And then did the human equivalent of short circuiting.
  * Conan then ran out of the bathroom after Connor asked if he’d like to help/join them in the tub.
  * Despite usually maintaining composure, he slammed open Collin’s door with gay panic written across his face.



Collin, after hearing about what happened, entered the bathroom.

  * Sumo just barely got out and Connor was standing up from the tub, body turned away, but looking over his shoulder at Collin. Then he smiled, and—
  * Collin fainted.
  * From within the depths of his unconsciousness, he could hear Hank shouting at Connor to put some clothes on.
  * Apparently, Connor was attempting to slap him awake while Collin’s head was in his lap.
  * Collin couldn’t bring himself to mind after he woke up.




	3. Chapter 3

Kamski and his best friend Chloe are the co-creators of Connor.

  * They wanted him decked out with as much technology as possible.
  * Kamski, dork that he is, has a bunch of “easter egg”-esque features in Connor’s program.
  * Connor can quote any vine because of this.



Connor also has a lot of anime-based “Easter eggs” due to Kamski’s weeb-phase.

  * ~~That phase hasn’t ended yet~~
  * If anyone ever tells him that they love him, he automatically responds with, “I love Emilia.”
  * _~~Markus was so confused.~~_
  * If provoked enough, he may pull out a “Nico Nico Nii”
  * He’s never reached this point and Kamski is grateful.
  * A lot of his base personality is based on Haruhi Fujioka from Ouran High School Host Club
  * He loved her, but he loves Connor more, now.



Chloe and her sisters, Cheri and Chanelle, baby Connor like he is their little brother.

  * They were the ones who recommended all of the badass features he has.
  * “To protect against potential molesters.” reasoned Chloe.
  * Kamski paused, opened his mouth, closed it, then nodded and began working on implementing the combat features.



So, Jericho, Markus’ band, went to visit Hank’s house once.

  * Simon brought his brother Daniel.
  * Both of them practically choked on their tongues so hard they almost died when they met Connor.
  * Josh really likes Connor, since the android listens attentively to him when he talks about history, unlike the others, even adding his two cents in every now and again.
  * North kinda cried when she met Connor??
  * Like, she was expecting an android to be a lot less cute.
  * She asked Markus when the wedding would be.



Connor asked a lot of questions about them and they were more than happy to answer.

  * He asked about their band.
  * North plays electric guitar and does back up vocals
  * Josh does drums
  * Simon plays bass guitar
  * Markus is the lead singer, but he also plays the piano//keyboard. (Piano for their slow songs.)
  * Daniel sometimes writes them lyrics.
  * Connor asked them to perform for him sometime
  * They accepted instantly.



They ask about Connor, too, wondering what he can do.

  * He said that he knows how to play a lot of instruments, but only prewritten songs.
  * So they promise to teach him how to play by feeling.
  * Markus tried to get Connor to sing
  * Daniel offered up some sheet music that he was working on,
  * “Hold On Just a Little While Longer.”
  * Connor’s voice was so unsure and gentle, yet they felt so soothed.



North mentioned that she used to be a stripper so she could pay for college.

  * Connor let it slip that he has Pole Dancing Capabilites in his programs
  * Everyone was silent



Kamski checked his phone a little bit after this and found he was part of a group text all of a sudden.

  * The first and only message was from Josh, who typed:
  * “Kamski u sick fuck”
  * Kamski whined to Chloe about it and she just rolled her eyes
  * He made note to observe how Connor would react to his whining next time he visited.




	4. Chapter 4

Kara, Alice, and Luther are good friends of Markus. Kara and Luther need to head to Canada for a few days so they can help out Luther’s cousin, Rose, and her son/his nephew, Adam, as they had caught a nasty virus and could barely take care of themselves.

Alice had to stay in Detroit, since they didn’t want her to get sick, too.

  * Luther tried to contact Markus, another cousin, but he and the others were too busy to take care of her.
  * The members of Jericho are activists outside of their band, and have other jobs as well.
  * Their schdeules are pretty wack, yo.



North tells them that they could keep Alice at Hank’s house, so, due to their desperation, they hit Hank up.

Connor was out working on a case when this was happening, Collin and Conan following him around while Gavin looked on with forced disdain.

  * When he licked some blood for analysis, everyone freaked.
  * Collin was lowkey intrigued. Like, maybe blood didn’t taste so bad?? Connor didn’t react badly.
  * Conan tackled him as he approached where Connor sat in confusion, slapping him while calling him a “fucking  _idiot_.”
  * Gavin was horrified and awed all at once.
  * ~~_And maybe all three of them were oddly aroused_~~
  * They don’t talk about that case any more.



Kara and Luther drop off Alice and all of the things she needs at Hank’s house, then leave.

Alice was preoccupied with Sumo for a few hours.

  * In that time, Hank managed to give her a cupcake that Connor made.
  * She squealed in delight while eating it.
  * Hank’s dopey smile was unsettling to him, so he slapped himself in the face to get rid of it after leaving the room.



When Connor came back home, Conan and Collin flanking him, Alice thought she wasn’t feeling well and that she was seeing triple.

  * When Connor heard the words “not feeling well”, he immediately sprung into action.
  * He dashed to the kitchen, and within 5 minutes, he had Chicken Noodle Soup on the stove and some bread in the toaster.
  * After getting everything ready in there enough to be able to leave for a moment, he went back to Alice.
  * He checked her temperature, asked her how she was feeling, etc.



Collin and Conan kinda stood in the background, feeling mildly irked at not receiving any such attention. It was irrational, but eh.

Alice took a huge liking to Connor.

  * He makes her hair look really pretty with as little pain as possible
  * He gives her hugs whenever she wants
  * He scoops her into his arms like a toddler and then gives her kisses to her hair.
  * She simultaneously thinks of Connor as a prince and a princess.
  * She asks him to sing her lullabies and the dreams she gets as a result are so wonderful
  * She calls it Sleepy Magic
  * ~~It further solidified her idea of him being a prince(ss)~~



Hank feels his heart swell when he sees the two of them together. It’s so cute.

  * There may as well be flowers surrounding them when they’re laughing with each other gdi



Collin and Conan aren’t on the best of terms with Alice. They keep trying to take Connor’s attention away, and Alice doesn’t accept that. They don’t like that Alice gets Connor’s attention at all.

  * Sometimes, when Connor is hugging her, curled around her while they’re watching a movie, she’ll turn so she’s looking over his shoulder
  * And she’ll stare at Conan and Collin
  * And then  _smirk_  and stick her tongue out
  * They bristle and have to remind themselves that she’s a kid



When Kara and Luther returned, they were so exhausted that they forget to call Hank to tell him they were back.

  * They just rang the doorbell
  * They didn’t expect Connor, with Alice on his shoulders,
  * The both of them covered in miscellaneous baking items.
  * Whipped cream was splattered across Connor’s face, and flour was clinging to his cheeks.
  * Alice’s hands were covered in flour, so there weren’t many questions as to where it came from.



Kara and Luther didn’t really talk much with Connor, still wayyyy out of it.

  * Alice kept on talking about Connor on their way home, but they didn’t really think much of her rambling until after they woke up later.
  * When they finally listened to all of the things Alice was saying about Connor, they felt kinda impressed.
  * Like, wow, Alice loves him a lot.
  * They came to really like Connor.
  * Kara and Luther keep on badgering Markus to grow a pair and get a ring on Connor.
  * Luther wants that android as his cousin in law  _soon_ , dammit.



Conan and Collin’s biological mother requires a visit every month or so.

  * If she doesn’t see them at her house, she goes to them.
  * Collin and Conan don’t feel the most comfortable around her, but they act indifferent.



So, when Amanda came to Hank’s house while the three human occupants were out, she didn’t anticipate meeting Connor.

  * She was intrigued by the android, and decided that she could use him for her company.
  * She is the current CEO of Cyberlife.
  * Kamski left the company a while back.



He did all of his programming and stuff at home, so Cyberlife has been trying to attain samples of his work (like Connor) in order to reverse engineer some AI that they could use to make androids similar to Connor.

  * The ones they already make aren’t proper AI, their code isn’t as complex and detailed.
  * The only androids in use are the few used in places like the Eden Club, and in some Government buildings. (Hospitals and the like)



Conan, Hank, and Collin came back home to Connor looking vaguely frightened, LED blinking red, with Amanda, despite being shorter, towering over him. She was grabbing his arm really tightly.

  * When she heard the door open, she smiled like a damn fox and then told Conan and Collin that she missed them.
  * Amanda then released Connor’s arm and walked out of the house.
  * Her last words still echo in Connor’s ears.
  * “There is little time, Connor.”



Connor was so shaken up that he went into the coat closet and locked himself in there.

  * He ignored the three of them when they tried to get him to open the door, to  _talk to them_
  * He even ignored Sumo, who was scratching at the door and whimpering in concern for him



The next day, he acted like nothing happened, feigning a lack of knowledge about the previous day’s events.

  * He still freezes up when Amanda is mentioned in any capacity




	5. Chapter 5

Ralph meets Connor while Connor is walking Sumo.

  * He is feeding birds with his friend Rupert
  * They are talking and then suddenly they are just engulfed in dog.
  * Ralph and Rupert are trying to gently nudge the dog off of them, but he keeps on getting into their space.
  * And then Connor rushes in, picks up the dog with one arm while waving the other as he tries to apologize.
  * Ralph and Rupert are incredibly surprised when Connor picks up the dog, cuz that doggo is heavy af, it was a struggle to try and push him away, and he just lifts him up with one hand??



Connor realizes that he and Sumo startled away the birds, so, feeling guilty, he offers to make it up to them.

  * Rupert and Ralph try to tell him that it’s okay, but he insists.
  * He ends up getting the two ice cream and buying them more bird food.
  * Ralph considers this a date. Even if Rupert’s with him.
  * Rupert is hesitant to accept Connor’s tokens of apology but after looking into those chocolate brown eyes he can’t say no.



Ralph tells his friend Kara about the encounter, and that’s when she stops badgering Markus, and instead starts badgering Ralph.

  * She and Luther get into “ship wars” now.
  * Alice just wants to keep Connor for herself; no man is taking away her older brother figure!



Ralph gets Connor’s contact info from Kara, and invites Connor to go to the Pirate’s Cove with him and Alice.

  * Connor accepts, to the chagrin of Collin and Conan.
  * He doesn’t realize it’s a date, and Ralph doesn’t realize that you’re not supposed to take children with you on dates.
  * Alice loves the Pirate’s Cove, as she’s visited the place a couple times with Kara and Luther.



Ralph leaves for the bathroom after they’ve gone through the house of mirrors and listened to a ghost story in the haunted cabin.

  * Alice runs off towards someone and Connor chases after her, wanting to return to where they were waiting as soon as possible.
  * So when he goes into the group of five similar looking males that are all talking with Alice, his momentum is enough to tip him over.
  * One of the dudes catches him.
  * “Careful there, matey!”
  * “Jerry, this is Connor!” Says Alice.
  * Connor’s helped to stand properly and he gives an embarrassed “thank you”
  * And then the Jerrys all introduce themselves at once.



There’s Jeremy, Gerome, Gerald, Jared, and just plain Jerry. They all go by the same nickname, and since they look similar, they can confuse people really easily.

  * It’s apparently really fun.
  * Connor considers convincing Collin and Conan to try it with him sometime.



Ralph comes up, wondering why his date and his lil niece are surrounded by strangers.

  * He tries to keep calm about it, but he can’t help the twitch in his fingers.
  * He asks what’s happening and he’s introduced, as well.
  * He and the Jerrys get along okay.



At the end of the date, Connor has many new phone numbers in his contacts. He’s glad to have so many friends.

  * Lowkey all the Jerrys really liked Connor.
  * They saw how gentle he was with Alice.
  * They gave him lots of snacks and took him on a bunch of rides.
  * They made sure to treat Alice and Ralph, as well, of course. But Connor even got the slightest bit more privilege than Alice, and they also tried to slip in as many casual touches as they could manage.
  * It was a team effort.



They sent Connor and Ralph all of the pictures from their Pirate Adventure  ~~and made sure to keep a few copies for themselves.~~

  * Kara finds that she’s been sent a plethora of texts, all of which are images of Connor, with the Jerrys proclaiming that they’re all interested in him.
  * Kara is so conflicted.
  * Ralph and the Jerrys are good friends of hers, and she doesn’t know who she ships Connor with more.
  * Luther tells her to join the  _dark_  side and ship MarCon/ConKus/MarNor.



Connor tells Conan and Collin about what the Jerrys do and got them and Hank to join him in pranking the DCPD.


	6. Chapter 6

Connor walks into the DCPD with Conan and Collin in tow, and everyone is immediately confused.

  * Why? Because the three of them are all dressed in the exact same clothes—Connor’s clothes, more precisely.
  * “Connor!” Hank calls from behind them, opening the door.
  * All three of them turn to the door at the shout of the name.
  * It seems Conan got contacts for this.
  * It also seems like Connor and Collin both wore heeled shoes to elevate them to Conan’s height, though it took an extra inch for Connor.
  * They all had an LED on their temple, so it was confusing af



Gavin cries a little bit when he sees the three of them??

  * He is kinda scared.
  * He knows one of them is the one he actually (kinda) likes but he can’t tell who’s who from here
  * ~~The other two can fuck off~~



The DCPD staff is just so determined to guess which is which.

  * They’ve tried straight up guessing and the three are so committed they all say that they’re Connor.
  * Hank’s already knows but he’s not telling anyone, content to just chuckle into his coffee cup as he downs the brew.



Somebody gets so desperate they get one of Connor’s many spare Thirium bags and spill some on the floor.

  * Two of the Connors go down to analyze.
  * The third one is ruled out. Must be Conan.
  * So, they need to figure out which one is Collin and which one is Connor.
  * Unfortunately, Conan can’t entirely tell the difference either, so they’re both just pushed away from the blood with a firm, “No!” from the eldest.



Conan gets that he’s out of the game, so he takes out his contacts and switches out his RK800 jacket for one that Connor made him, an RK900 jacket.

  * “Shit he’s kinda hot in that.” Says one female officer.



Collin and Connor hold hands wherever they go, and then switch places when they’re turning corners or doing anything. Still, nobody can guess. Until Ben gets a strike of genius.

  * Ben gives them sweets, and Conan and Collin both know the game is over.
  * Connor’s reaction to sweets is just
  * It’s  _overwhelming_
  * _~~Cougharousingcough~~_



Collin keeps the jacket on, but he then informs them that there were multiple clues.

  * His jacket has 60 written on it, while Connor’s has 51.
  * Connor’s eyes are less gold and more of a milk chocolate brown.
  * ~~He brings a hand down and squeezes Connor’s ass and then says, “But also, his ass is literally the softest thing, and he doesn’t freak out when you touch it. That’s another way to tell.”~~
  * ~~_Conan and Collin would freak out if anyone touched their asses, or Connor’s if it’s done in front of them._~~
  * Hank choked and threw a stapler at the younger twin, then threw a folder at Conan when he nodded in agreement to Collin’s claims.



It’s time to use some suggestions! Thank you, @manadrite !

Your other suggestions will come up in the next one, since the one I used first is really long.

It‘s during the night, while his three humans are preparing for bed, that Connor hears noise at the window.

  * He lowers the brightness of his LEDs and settles himself against a wall, ready to get up at any moment.
  * The last of the lights turn off, the ones in Hank’s bedroom, and the house is cast in shadow.
  * There’s silence for twenty minutes, and by then, everyone in the house is asleep, sans Connor, of course.
  * That’s when the window is opened.
  * Sumo is resting near the bathroom door, and he doesn’t even stir when a few people enter the house.



Connor waits, watching what they do.

  * He has a call to the Police Department at the ready.



They people are looking through the house, and they start to move towards the bedrooms.

They awaken Sumo, and that’s when Connor strikes.

  * He’s hyper focused on his targets, he’s tuning out everything but those he needs to protect his home from.
  * They have guns, and he’s quick to disarm them, disassembling each gun while dodging attacks from all sides.
  * It’s really hard to fight in the hallway.
  * He calls the DCPD as he continues to dance around his opponents.



It seems the commotion woke everyone else up, since Hank is standing on the sidelines with Conan and Collin.

  * Collin has his phone out, recording Connor’s fight.
  * Conan is giving Collin a judging look.
  * Hank is too concerned with Connor’s fight itself.
  * He is shouting out a lot of instructions. “Dodge left! Duck! Kick—atta boy!”
  * “Dad, this isn’t a like an MMA match.”
  * “I’m trying to help Connor, dammit!”



Two of the six intruders are already unconscious on the floor, and one of them pulled out another gun they hid under their jacket.

  * He grabbed Connor and held the gun to his head while turning to Hank and the twins.
  * “Hank, Conan, Collin, don’t worry! If I get shot, Kamski can repair me!”
  * “Hell no, we’re not letting you get shot!”
  * “But—“
  * “Connor, don’t get shot, you hear me!? That’s a fucking  _order_!”
  * Connor’s eyes sharpened and he elbowed the guy holding him in the face, which caught him off guard. He swung around the man’s neck, who barely managed to support himself on his feet, then sat in the guy’s shoulders.
  * He wrapped his legs around the man’s neck and throat and then leaned backwards and went into a handstand before releasing his grip and letting the man slam into the ground face first.
  * At the same time, he remains in the handstand and kicks at another man close to him, hitting him in the gut. The man is winded, leaning forward and Connor just slams his hand into the man’s now exposed neck and knocks him out.



When Connor looks up, he sees that one of the two men had been taken out by Conan and Collin when he went to attack them and Hank.

He hears Sumo barking and is suddenly remembering that there was one man left.

  * He just barely dodges the first swinging towards him.
  * He does something similar to his attack on the guy with the gun, sitting on the guy’s shoulders, but this time he was in front of the guy’s face.
  * _~~“Lucky bitch”~~_ ~~mutters one of the twins~~
  * He squeezes the man’s neck between his thighs and cuts off his blood flow until he passes out, and is unable to unwrap his legs until after the man has fallen to the ground.
  * When he lands, the man’s face is pressed against the center seam of his shorts, making him squirm a bit.
  * “I don’t know exactly why, but I’m uncomfortable.”
  * Collin and Conan step on the man’s body as they yank him off of the man’s face, Collin’s phone off and tucked into his pocket.



The police come in just then, and Hank is excused from working tomorrow, since it would be difficult to sleep now and then wake up early tomorrow. They leave soon enough, the intruders with them.

  * Connor goes to enter sleep mode on the couch
  * But his humans only just realize that he’s been using the couch the entirety of his time living with them.
  * Hank says he should sleep in a bed, and Connor tries to tell him that it’s not necessary.
  * Connor was already in the process of entering sleep mode when the argument began, so his voice was getting slurred and his voice synth made him sound whiny



Conan and Collin then both say they’re willing to share their beds with him.

  * After a heated discussion, Conan gets to share with Connor first, to Collin’s rage.
  * Conan hugs Connor like he’s a teddy bear, which is kinda unexpected
  * But cute
  * He breathes into Connor’s ear from where he rests his head in the crook of Connor’s neck as he sleeps, and Connor finds it oddly soothing.



Collin wakes Connor up first that morning, gently coaxing him out of Conan’s hold.

  * Then, once Connor is out of the way, he pours ice water onto Conan’s face
  * Collin wanted to sleep with Connor first, so this is his revenge.
  * Hank bursts into the room as Connor yelps in panic, Collin being choked and held in the air as Conan glares at him menacingly.



Hank sighs. “I’ll set up the funeral.”

Then Collin barely manages to say, “This is so sad, Connor, play Despacito.”

  * Hank joins in on trying to kill Collin as Connor is suddenly playing Despacito over the Bluetooth speakers all over the house, looking confused and mildly terrified.
  * Collin is using his last few breaths to cackle.




	7. Chapter 7

The rest of @manadrite ‘s suggestions, as well as @tonylollipop ‘s!

Hank is 3 inches taller than Connor, and he keeps on teasing him about it, and Connor is not amused.

  * “Aw, lighten up, ya bag of bolts.” Hank says, nudging Connor in the side with an elbow.
  * Connor tenses up immediately, LED blinking yellow.
  * He purses his lips to keep a noise from bubbling out.
  * He’s so confused by this that he sits in his chair with his arms crossed for the entire day, expression troubled.



Hank’s grin grows as he forms a hypothesis. He decides to test it out once he gets home, planning on having the twins help him out.

As soon as Conan and Collin come home, he has them pull Connor to the couch, sit him down, and then grab his arms and legs, holding him in place.

  * Connor doesn’t fight back…yet.
  * Then, Hank brings his fingers to Connor’s sides and wiggles them, and Connor’s reaction is instantaneous.
  * He tries to wriggle out of the twins’ grip as he giggles uncontrollably, LED flashing yellow, feet kicking out.
  * Hank and the twins are smiling almost evilly as they continue to tickle-torture Connor, who huffs out endless laughter.
  * “Ple—hhhahhhahaa—pLeAse staahahap—ahahaha! Please! Aha, ahaha, m—aha—mercy!”
  * Hank tickles him for a good two minutes before finally granting pity.
  * Connor makes sure to ask Rupert to bring his pet birds over for his revenge.



Markus comes to visit Connor after the Android had chased down a criminal at an investigation.

  * Connor is recharging on the couch when Markus enters the house, Hank just about to head to a bar when he arrived and letting him in.



Markus sits next to Connor and debates over waking him, staring intently at Connor’s sleeping face.

  * Markus is usually too dazzled by Connor’s bright smile to be able to observe properly, so he takes his time.
  * He notices the darkened LED, the curled strands hanging onto his closed eyes. He pushes the hair away gently, but they fall back into place.
  * He notices the tiny tint of pink on his cheeks, and then his eyes catch on the little freckle-moles that dot Connor’s skin.
  * He sees one peeking out from under the collar of Connor’s partially unbuttoned shirt.
  * He trails a finger down Connor’s neck to touch the freckle and tries to find another in the area.
  * Markus throws himself backwards when he hears a yawned out, “Markus?” accompanied by Connor blinking curiously at him, sleepiness ringing his tone and expression.
  * Markus’ entire head was tinged red as he realized what he was doing to Connor  _while the other was asleep_.



As Connor gains notoriety in the public as a member of the police, a small group begins making themselves known, outraged at an android taking yet another job from humans.

  * Connor isn’t even an official member, he just aids them because they request it of him.



One day, while Connor is out grocery shopping for Hank, a woman grabs at him, spotting his LED and arm band easily.

  * Connor tries to placate her gently, not wanting to be violent by any means.
  * The woman shouts accusations at him, calls him unfeeling and saying that he isn’t alive.
  * Connor feels his mouth go dry, as he remembers Amanda telling him something similar.
  * More people join the woman in criticizing him.
  * He starts to freak out, unsure of how to handle the situation.



Someone uses his hesitation to shove him, so hard that he’s sent into the road.

  * He barely manages to avoid being hit by a car, and flees the scene.
  * He goes straight home, and locks himself in the coat closet, like he did when Amanda came over.



Hank and the twins come home and hear muffled sobs in the closet, and softly try to coax Connor out.

  * They try to ask him about what happened, but Connor doesn’t say a word about it.
  * Connor finds himself hiccuping a sob, whimpering as he asks Hank the question burning in his chest.
  * Connor just bottles up all the bad feelings and then acts like nothing’s wrong.



That night, he’s sharing the bed with Hank, who he curls around, resting his head against the man’s shoulder.

  * “What’s wrong, son?” Hank asks with a fatherly concern, voice gruff but quiet.
  * Tears fall from his eyes, down his cheeks and onto Hank’s shirt.
  * “She said that I can’t feel… Th-that I’m not alive…”
  * Hank places his hand on the back of Connor’s head, petting the hair comfortingly.
  * “Well, that’s bullshit.” Hank responds with conviction. “You  _are_  alive, you  _do_  feel. If you didn’t feel, you wouldn’t be drowning me in your tears, now would you?”
  * Connor falls silent, unable to argue.
  * Not much longer afterwards, Hank feels Connor’s body relax, soft breaths indicating that sleep mode turned off his main cooling unit.



Conan and Collin glare at each other, arms crossed. Connor can almost hear growling.

  * Connor is making breakfast, placing dollops of cream on the top of a stack of pancakes.
  * He hears muttered insults and his patience begins wearing thin.
  * He hears his name amongst a murmur and he slams his hands against the counter, turning his head to glare over his shoulder at the two, cream splattering against the counter as the bowl it was in tips over.
  * The twins kinda shrink in fear.



Suddenly, they’re placed in the corners of the kitchen, facing towards the walls.

  * “Wait, why am I in the corner?” Collin asks, standing from his seat.
  * Conan mimics the action.



Connor puts his hands on his hips, brandishing a whisk menacingly.

  * “If either of you make a peep, I’m going to add five minutes to the ten minutes you’re already going to be there for.”
  * “You’re putting us in  _time out_?! We’re  _adults_! Not  _seven_!”
  * “Well, your actions could fool me. Now sit down, or I’ll pick a different method of punishment.”



Conan and Collin sit down,  ~~but their minds wander into what kind of _other punishment_  Connor could give them.~~

  * They’re distracted from their thoughts by Connor talking to himself quietly.
  * “Can’t let this cream go to waste.”
  * And when they look over their shoulders they’re immensely attentive.



Connor catches them looking just as he is about to a cream-coated finger to his mouth.

  * He licks it, practically melting at the sweetness, then he composes himself



He grabs two glasses of water from the counter

  * He holds one on either side of him and then splashes the water out of the cups at both of them at the same time.
  * The water is cold and it helps to sober them from their other thoughts.
  * Hank laughs at them once he gets into the kitchen.
  * “You look like wet cats!” He mocks.



He asks Connor why they’re in the corner and Connor smiles all innocently

  * “They’re in time out.”
  * Hank bursts out into another fit of full-blown laughter at that, and Collin and Conan look even more put-out.




	8. Chapter 8

Connor is walking down the street when he finds Conan and Collin following him.

  * They appear to be wearing the android uniforms he made them, even wearing the LEDs on their temples.



Connor decides that he should do a switch with them—without telling them, of course.

  * He goes into a shop to buy a beanie to cover his LED, as well as a few other clothes.
  * He makes sure to lose them in the aisles first.
  * He debates wearing a dress or an oversized hoodie, and the hoodie wins out. He doesn’t care much about wearing other clothes, but he’d rather not have much attention on himself.
  * Finally, he grabs some shorts, black and stretchy, barely reaching his knee.



Once he gets done changing his appearance, he marches up to the two searching for him, grabbing their arms and wrapping them with his.

  * He acts like a spoiled human and tells them off for wandering away from him.
  * “I expect better, considering your programming!”
  * The two share a raised eyebrow but can’t break character, lest they embarrass themselves in public.
  * Like, what weirdos would dress up as androids?
  * ~~_All of Jericho simulataneously sneeze._~~



He drags them around the entire day, and it’s so much fun for him.

  * He made them each give him piggyback rides across a park—Conan carried him on his shoulders though.
  * He messed Conan’s hair up while he could reach properly.
  * Collin had to deal with him breathing giggles into his ear and neck.
  * He also forced them to push him on the swings and buy him ice cream.
  * They were more than glad to be able to “accidentally” touch his ass.
  * And to watch him enjoy sweets.
  * _God_  they love giving him sweets.



Once he decides they’re to go home, they shove him in an automated cab.

  * Connor’s face is covered in a blush when he exits, hair a bit messy, and Conan and Collin are smirking and looking quite satisfied with themselves as they follow him.



Alice is over with Connor while Kara and Luther are at work when Markus stumbles in, the flaming mess of homo he usually is.

  * Markus and Alice get along quite well, but both of them like Connor more than the other person.



Alice is having Connor do all of the things the average little girl would want someone to do with them.

  * Bake sweets, have a tea party, apply make up, play dress up.
  * Markus tries to include himself in these activities, baking especially.
  * He takes care of his dad, after all.
  * When Alice throws some flour at Connor and Connor smears eggs all over her hair, Markus backs away as fast as he can.
  * Some oil is splattered on the floor.



Connor tries to follow him as Alice grabs a handful of sugar

  * They’re both covered in sugar when she throws it and then they slip on the oil



Markus finds himself laying partially on top of Connor

  * He struggles to get up—every time he pushes himself up, his hands slip and he’s all up in Connor’s face again
  * He’s hyper aware of how cliche this is, and also remembers that this usually ends up with a kiss
  * He doesn’t feel ready but  _god_  Connor is so pretty.
  * The light streaming in reflects off of the oil below Connor’s head, making him look like he has a halo
  * Connor’s face is flushed from laughter and Markus feels tears blur his vision because Connor is an a n g e l.



As Markus cries over the beauty of Connor, Alice comes up behind him.

  * She grabs the back collar of Markus’ shirt, and yanks him up with unbelievable strength.
  * Markus almost falls over again, backwards this time, from the harsh tug.
  * Alice pays him no mind as she helps Connor up gently
  * As Connor thanks her and turns around to find the mop and clean the oil, she peers over her shoulder and gives Markus a  _look_



When Connor and Alice play dress up, Markus is sitting on the couch watching TV, when Connor comes in, Alice being held up in his arms like she’s flying.

  * Markus feels his jaw drop
  * Connor is in a dress
  * He and Alice are wearing matching Princess outfits and Markus 
  * Markus’ mouth has gone dry and he is  _thirsty_



Markus is forced to suffer through things similar to the two above for the entire day, until Luther comes to pick Alice up.

  * Luther gives him a look of pity as he grabs Alice’s hand, patting Markus on the shoulder.



Connor, having now changed into his new house clothes, (the hoodie and shorts from the Android Shenanigans bit), comes up and apologizes for not spending much time with Markus.

  * Connor looks so apologetic that Markus can’t  _not_ forgive him.



Connor asks if Markus wants to watch a movie and Markus accepts

  * An hour in, it seems like Connor is sitting in Markus’ lap, snuggled into the blanket they’re sharing
  * Half an hour later, Markus has Connor sitting between his legs, staring with rapt attention as the dogs in the movie try to escape the evil lady trying to make a coat out of them. 
  * Markus has his head on Connor’s shoulder, relishing in the moment.
  * They fall asleep. Hank turns off the lights and pulls the blanket high enough to cover them so that Collin and Conan don’t throw a tantrum//commit murder.




	9. Chapter 9

(More of @manadrite ‘s suggestions; trying to get though all of them, but they keep on expanding when I write them hehe.)

Connor is petting Sumo, trying to make up for the fact that he can’t take him outside today.

It’s rainy, and Connor finds himself soothed by the putter patter on the roof and sidewalk.

  * He jumped the first time he heard thunder, startled.



He looks longingly out the window. Hank and the twins took the umbrellas, so he couldn’t even go out.

  * Sumo huffs when Connor gently nudges the dog off of him, patting the dog one more time before standing up.



Connor grabs the phone Hank had given him yesterday, smiling when he sees that all of the apps finished downloading not too long ago.

  * He opens up an app that Hank mentioned has been around for more than 20 years, Instagram.
  * He makes an account, quickly, then syncs his contacts. He follows all of the people he knows, and is surprised when a few follow him back immediately.
  * Ofc it’s Markus and then the rest of Jericho.



He decides to wrap Sumo in an electric blanket and then go outside for a bit.

  * He wears a white t-shirt and some black jeans, having stolen them from Collin’s closet bc his clothes fit him the best. He can apologize later.
  * He takes a picture of Sumo as his first post, leaving the caption, “I love him so much it hurts.” With a heart emoji next to it.
  * _It’s best to be genuine_ , Connor thinks.



He walks around outside, then decides to go to a park, where there are some school children dressed in raincoats and rain boots with umbrellas over their heads, splashing around in puddles.

  * One little girl stands on one foot, trying to play hopscotch, the squares themselves slick from the rain.
  * Connor rushes over to catch her just as she slips, having recognized the risk immediately.
  * After that, the little girl and the other children find out he’s an android and he’s bombarded with questions and requests to do things.
  * They find out he’s super strong and suddenly all of the children are on random parts of his body–hanging on his arms, standing on his shoulders, curling around his leg.



One of the kids’ parents decides that they should take a group picture with their new friend, and then there’s a photo of him, hair curled due to being wet, surrounded by children while smiling softly at the children, not even looking at the camera.

The kids have to leave, eventually, and they give reluctant goodbyes. 

  * One of the little boys of the group runs up before he goes, a flower crown in his hands. 
  * Connor asks if it’s for him, and the little boy blushes shyly, ducking his head and saying that it is.
  * “Pretty flowers for a pretty person.”
  * Connor hugs the boy and gives him a happy, “Thank you, that’s so kind of you!” before the boy runs over to his mom, practically tripping over himself as he goes to tell her about his day and his pretty new friend.



He decides to take a picture of himself with the flower crown on and posts it.

  * The caption reads, “A little boy made this for me and I am so honored. Children are just the sweetest!”
  * He turns his phone off quickly, as soon as he’s done. He doesn’t like the idea of it getting covered in water, even if all phones were waterproof nowadays.
  * (He doesn’t realize how many likes and followers he’s gained until he opens the app the next day.)



Meanwhile:

  * Conan and Collin are both screencapping the photo.
  * Markus screencaps it 5 times, just to be sure, and then gets ready to paint the image.
  * Alice asks Kara and Luther if they can get this printed and put in a frame for her desk.
  * Kamski is holding back Chloe, who wants to go to wherever Connor is and hug the life out of him.
  * Hank is just smiling warmly at the photo from his desk. 




	10. Chapter 10

Getting through to the last of the suggestions from [@manadrite](https://tmblr.co/mOKmyjPfA4aMgY3uJDeNwVw) ‘s most recent comment (as of posting this)! I love having suggestions, keep ‘em coming!

Connor isn’t one to get terribly scared. He actually gets a thrill from scary situations.

  * His sense of self-preservation is startlingly low, for a being granted with immeasurable intelligence. At least, that’s what Hank claims.



Furthermore, Connor loves Horror. From movies to novels to images, he loves things made to be scary.

\- Connor may or may not have had a weird crush on Slenderman for like a week. 

  * Maybe it was the towering height and the lack of a face, or maybe it was the slim fitting suit that made the creature so appealing to him.
  * Okay maybe Connor has a suit kink.
  * When he sees Gavin in an officer’s clothing and finds the man slightly attractive, it’s clear that he just straight ( _pfft_ ) up has a uniform kink.
  * Connor will take this newfound information to the  g r a v e.



Connor goes to see a horror movie with Hank and the twins, and he’s ecstatic. 

  * He puts all of the pieces together detective style to figure out how the protagonists are either gonna die or solve the problem while Collin and Conan grip their seats a bit too tight and while Hank mutters flaws about the movie under his breath.
  * _~~“This scene does not include a lap dance.”~~_
  * _“What was that?”_
  * _“Nothing!”_



By the end of the movie, Collin and Conan had migrated to partially hide behind Connor, and Connor points this out to them.

  * They lie and say they were getting sleepy, and were dozing off on his seat.
  * Connor goes with it with a knowing smirk and a wink, mischief twinkling in his eyes.



Connor goes missing one day.

  * They try to give him a call when he they don’t see him that morning, but they receive no answer.
  * Hank and the twins storm through the house, upturning furniture and looking under the beds, in the closets, outside. He’s nowhere to be found.
  * They call up all of his friends, but nobody knows where he is.
  * The DCPD gets at least fifteen calls all at once reporting Connor missing.



While everyone is freaking out, Connor is actually, in fact, not missing.

  * He is out for a walk, Sumo at the vet’s for a check up and grooming, and he spots an animal shelter/pet shop. 
  * There are dogs and cats in cages by the windows, and Connor gravitates towards them without thought to anything else.



He enters the shop and, after talking with the person behind the counter for ten minutes, is surrounded by animals, all vying for his attention.

  * He’d never seen a cat before this, and honestly, he now holds cats to the same regard as dogs. 
  * It’s his first time seeing a lot of animals, all of them immensely cute. He giggles when a rabbit nibbles on his pointer finger.
  * The employee who allowed this to happen is melting against the counter, everything is too  _much_.  _Too cute_. 
  * The employee pulls out a camera and records, knowing the manager would love to use this as an ad. 
  * Connor already gave his consent for any media that his interaction might appear in, so it’s all gucci, even though Connor’s too preoccupied with the animals to even realize he’s  _being_ recorded.
  * Connor is there for a few hours, all of the time considered blissful to the android.



The video was sent to the editor as soon as the employee got clips of Connor interacting with each and every one of the animals. 

  * It’s edited impressively quickly, yet still professionally; the editor accredited it to “passion”. 



When the ad goes up on all of the shelter/shop ‘s social media, with Connor tagged in the photo, everything halts.

  * Connor finally registers that his phone, being sat on by two guinea pigs, is ringing.
  * He answers it, and is disappointed when he’s told to return home immediately by Hank. Hank sounds angry, distressed, and relieved all at once.
  * The employee reassures him, telling him that he can return whenever he’d like.



There’s an issue when Connor is on his way home, however, as he gets attacked. 

  * A man tries to mug him with a knife to his throat, pushing him into an alleyway, and while Connor manages to push him away, he doesn’t anticipate the man having accomplices.
  * He gets a few surprise stab wounds that go into some biocomponents, but their timers are set to at least an hour before he shuts down.
  * He defeats his attackers and sends Hank his location, telling him that he needs emergency care needs to be taken to Kamski as soon as possible.
  * His systems kick him into sleep mode against a cold alley wall to preserve thirium, which leaks copiously from his many wounds.



Connor wakes up to the ceiling of Kamski’s “operating” room, vaguely wondering if the past few months had been the equivalent of a dream, if he had imagined all of the friends he’d made and all of the things he’d experienced.

  * The thought…saddens Connor.
  * Luckily, a few minutes after he awakens, he hears Hank’s gruff voice and a plethora of footsteps approaching the room he’s in.



Connor goes to sit up, but winces in pain. His movement brings up a prompt, asking if he’d like to interface with the android equivalent of an IV, though it contains a liquid that promotes self-reparation at the cost of his mental capabilities being lowered until his wounds are healed.

  * TL;DR, it’s the closest Connor can get to pain killing medication.
  * He accepts the interface and he suddenly feels…oddly happy?
  * Everything is moving around the slightest bit and Connor can’t help but smile. Everything was great and he was having fun, sitting on the table. 
  * He giggles drunkenly.
  * His wounds are slowly closing themselves, and he scoots to the edge of the table while humming an unknown tune. He smiles triumphantly once his knees finally hang over the edge, he kicks them and rocks his head side to side.



When everyone enters the room, he’s surrounded by people and get-well gifts and he’s just so  _happy_. He really doesn’t think of the consequences of his actions.

  * So that’s exactly why he thanks them all with hugs and kisses, skin tingly and buzzing while his chest feels warm and full.
  * The members of Jericho are frozen when he gives them all kisses to the cheek, and then all of them simultaneously slap a hand onto their cheek and stare at each other with pink faces. Daniel and Simon both duck their heads while Josh pulls his hood over his face and rugs on the drawstrings. North is suddenly more occupied with poking Markus’ red cheeks and teasing him as he shakes.
  * Hank tries to fight him off, but eventually relents, ruffling his hair bashfully. Conan and Collin both turn their heads as he approaches their cheeks, leading to him kissing both of them on the lips, though he just laughs good naturedly when they both nod at each other and go to opposite sides of the room, ears red.
  * Ralph and the Jerrys are surprisingly shy when Connor kisses them, but Ralph gives him a kiss on the cheek back, while the Jerrys all rub their necks and look away with silly grins.
  * Luther and Kara let Alice take their share of kisses, and she presses a kiss to Connor’s nose.
  * Rupert tries to escape Connor, but the brunette grabs his sleeve and gives him a kiss to the temple. Rupert immediately tries to flee the room, and Connor waves. Rupert hesitates before waving back and running away.
  * Connor goes to give Gavin a kiss, too, but the detective shoves a homemade cupcake in his mouth before he can. He still manages to give the guy a hug, though.



Kamski approaches, by Connor’s hug and kiss for him are stolen by Chloe, who had just snapped out of her shock at seeing Connor surrounded by a goddamn  _harem_.

  * She growls at everyone in the room, sans Alice, Hank, Kara, and Luther.
  * Kamski is kinda concerned?? People don’t growl like that, wtf.
  * Also, he’s kinda upset that she’s keeping him from getting affection from his own creation but he’s not about to let his head get ripped off today
  * Chloe says that there’s too many people in the room, it’s getting late, and that Connor should get some more rest so that he can recover completely.
  * She tries to sound pleasant, but she really just sounds threatening af
  * Once she’s sufficiently scared the fuck out of everyone there and gotten them to leave, she puts her hands on Connor’s shoulders and tries to explain that nobody is allowed to touch him bc he’s too precious and, “nobody deserves you. This world doesn’t deserve you. The G-Man in the sky doesn’t even deserve you u pure boi.”
  * He doesn’t remember a word of this in the morning, but Chloe doesn’t know that.



He goes home in Hank’s car, Sumo already back from the vet and now laying across his lap, and finds out that Conan and Collin are at registration for their next year of college 

  * (lol idk if thats something u have to go do at college, im 15 and clueless)




	11. Chapter 11

Suggestions by [@supposedlymatureadult](https://tmblr.co/mG4e0Vi8z1pGoc2xELaxJnw)

It’s odd to be in the house without Conan or Collin around.

  * Even Hank feels a bit off with the lack of the twins’ presence.
  * He keeps going to their rooms to inform that breakfast is ready, or lunch, or dinner, and he finds himself deflating when he remembers that they’re gone.
  * He places one shirt on each of their door’s knobs to remind himself to stop when he goes to enter their rooms.
  * Some nights, he’ll lay on their beds and wear their shirts while going into sleep mode.
  * Hank takes a few pictures and prints them out without Connor’s knowledge—he has good reasons, and he’s sure he’ll be forgiven.



Hank proposes the idea of a care package, and Connor leaps at the chance to provide for two of his closest people.

  * Connor prepares a bunch of food that he then freezes for them to heat up after they receive it.
  * He also packs medicine, some extra school supplies, and puts in some of the money he’d gotten from his detective-ing.
  * He also recognizes that they’re in college, so he hides something else inside of one of the zippable binders.
  * Hank slips some extra things into the package just as they’re about to seal it, but Connor doesn’t inspect nor question it—they’re Hank’s sons, not Connor’s. Whatever is in there is from Hank to them, and Connor can respect that.



The twins share an apartment nearby the campus, and find a package had been shipped to them, sitting on their doorstep.

  * “I hope it’s not a bomb.”
  * “It’s from dad, it’s probably a gun or something.”
  * “Let’s open it inside, then; don’t want the neighbors to catch us with a firearm again.”
  * “Yeah, that was messy.”
  * They open it and immediately find a note taped to the inside.
  * ‘ _Hope you’re doing well! It’s weird not seeing you every day, and I’m finding that I miss you two a lot! Please do call me soon, I really want to hear your voices again! Hank’s message for you is, “Fuck shit up and don’t die.” Sumo only says “boof”, but I’m sure what he’s saying is full of affection. -Connor’_
  * The note is cute, the words holding so much warmth and personality despite being written with perfect handwriting—the typeface appears to be specific to androids, from what they understand, after having scanned it with an app.
  * Conan and Collin fight over who keeps the note, but eventually they agree to stick it to the fridge.



After they get over their appreciation for Connor’s overwhelmingly endearing note, they see that he had labeled everything he packaged with little post-its.

  * The miscellaneous meals all had instructions for storing and heating. Connor prepared their favorites.
  * They immediately set about disposing of the dry ice they were packaged with and putting the food away. Conan also puts the medicine in the cabinet near the sink, while Collin places the school supplies on the table. One of the binders is heavier than the other, and he decides to investigate that after they’ve gotten everything out of the package. The money is placed in their savings jar, which they stash in a safe place.



At the bottom of the package is an envelope with the words, ‘From Dad’ on the top in Hank’s semi-neat, semi-sloppy handwriting.

  * Collin pulls it out and waits for Conan to sit beside him, tearing it open only after the older twin urges him to do so.
  * He reaches in an pulls up a few pieces of photo paper, though they’re facing away, so he can’t see what images are on them yet. The envelope reads, ‘He misses you two.’ under the cover.
  * They turn the photos over to see images of Connor sleeping in their clothes and their beds, pillows arranged to replace their bodies so that Connor could hug and cuddle them. There are two copies of each photo, so they can divide them up and take their share without fuss.
  * Their father knows them well.



Collin mentions the binder after he and Conan put the photos in their rooms.

  * He and Conan are surprised to find packages of condoms inside.
  * “Connor what the fuck.” Collin mutters to himself.
  * There’s an assortment of sizes, Connor got them anything between medium and extra large and they feel an odd sense of pride at that. There are also miscellaneous flavors and colors.



‘ _College is a place to learn first and foremost, but a search has shown me that there’s a lot of intercourse that occurs during a student’s time there, so I’m making sure you guys are safe! I didn’t know for sure what you’d prefer and your specifications on size, so I’ve taken the liberty of buying you a bunch! Have fun! 😉_ ’

  * The winky face at the end is what gets Collin to groan into his hands and Conan to blow out a sigh.
  * “Does Connor  _really_  think we prioritize sexual endeavors to our schoolwork? Not to mention that neither of us are really interested in anyone other than him.”
  * Conan silently places the condoms under the bathroom sink, slamming the cabinet door shut. He vows that he will make it clear to Connor that the only one he’d ever have any sexual intentionsfor is him.
  * Collin wonders if he’d even  _need_  condoms with Connor, since he’s an android, but that leads into a rabbit hole of thoughts that Collin would rather not dive into while in the living room.



Carl calls Connor after a month of radio silence on the elder’s end.

  * His health had taken a nose dive, and Markus had been disguising his unease at flitting in and out of the hospital behind a cheery exterior.
  * Carl’s status was kept under wraps until he got better—even the rest of Jericho were left unaware of the man’s condition.



While he was in the hospital, he took a liking to the android in charge of tending to his needs—he didn’t have a name, but his model number was AP700.

  * This android doesn’t have a personality, unlike Connor, as it didn’t have a proper AI, just an extensive but not as extensive set of protocols.
  * Carl had Markus call up Kamski and request for the android to be reprogrammed after buying him from the hospital.
  * “Connor could use a friend he can relate to.” Carl explained, though Markus didn’t look entirely pleased by that.



When Carl calls, Connor is delighted to speak with him, polite but eager as he asks about how he’s been doing.

  * “It’s August, isn’t it? How time flies—it feels like it was only yesterday that Hank first called to complain about you.”
  * “It really doesn’t feel like it was that long ago, despite my system clock telling me it’s been 8 months. Simulatanously, it feels like it has also been a lifetime, which, considering the length of mine so far, is almost true.”



Carl considers for a moment. “How old  _are_  you, Connor?”

  * “It has been approximately one year since I was first activated in Mr. Kamski’s lab.”
  * “One year? It’s pretty weird that I’m talking to a one year old right now, wouldn’t you say?” Carl teases, chuckling lightly. Then his eyes light up in realization.
  * “Oh, Connor, we ought to throw you a birthday party!”
  * “A birthday party? I have been invited to a few before, but they seem to be something humans do to celebrate the life someone was given. Why would  _I_  need one?”
  * “You’re as alive as can be Connor, and you’re reason enough to celebrate.”



Connor eventually relents, and Carl eagerly recruits Kamski and Kara for the party planning.

  * August 23rd, 2037 was the date Kamski booted up Connor after his AI was finished and installed, so that’s when the party is set.
  * They didn’t inform Connor of the exact date, hoping that Connor will enjoy a surprise party.
  * They make sure to tell Hank to keep Connor from having any of his weapons on him. And, just in case, his coin.
  * Connor is good at improvising; he could wreak havoc with a sunflower seed and a glue stick if he felt the need to. Such precautions are drastic but necessary.



Everyone’s waiting in Carl’s living room, silent in the darkened room when Connor arrives at the mansion, dressed in black slim fitting jeans and with a blue oversized t-shirt. It has cartoonish versions of a multitude of cute animals arranged neatly on the front with hearts placed around them.

  * Connor is pushing Carl’s wheelchair, the painter and Hank keeping him distracted as they lead him to the living room.



Hank, standing slightly behind Connor, draws his attention with a question just as the doors open, so Connor is extra startled when there’s a shout of “Happy Birthday!” from a large sum of people.

  * He’s so shocked, in fact, that his system shuts down for a moment.
  * Hank catches Connor and Connor is left wide eyed, partially limp while his systems start back up, tears slowly coming to his eyes.
  * Markus runs out of the crowd trying to wipe Connor’s tears while apologizing profusely and telling everyone to cancel everything.
  * Carl rolls his eyes at Markus being utterly overdramatic.



“I…” Connor begins, eyes slowly focusing as his systems finally start coming back online.

“I’m not upset, or anything… I just…was overwhelmed by emotion and surprise.”

  * He can see his software instability shooting up and up and up, until it glitches out and vanishes. He’s just  _so_   _happy_  now. He has so many friends—So many people who care about him and he can’t help the joyful tears.
  * They all surround him and reassure him and all comfort him with pats and cooed words.



Hank eventually grows exasperated with the comfort situation and clasps Connor’s hand, yanking him up onto his own feet, telling everyone that it’s time for actual partying, a hand clapped on Connor’s shoulder.

  * The Jerrys go into the kitchen and pull out an utterly MASSIVE cake, decked with an impressive amount and variety of frosting.
  * It’s decorated to look like a dog with an LED as a frisbee in its mouth. Candles stick up like the dog’s fur is 3D, and the LED itself is shimmering amongst the flickering firelight.
  * Connor almost screams in delight, and the Jerrys tell him that Markus used the frosting colors as paint to make the picture.
  * He throws his arms around Markus’ neck and jumps up and down, shouting out “thank you!!”-s at an alarmingly rapid pace. Markus moves his arms up to Connor’s waist to hug him back and/or hold him down, but Connor’s motions lead to Markus accidentally squeezing Connor’s ass. Markus suddenly finds himself being given a scolding look from Daniel and Josh while Simon gives him a congratulatory pat on the back with North. Rupert, standing nearby, watches him with displeasure in his eyes.



Ralph offers to cut the cake, and Kara warily hands him a knife, though her fear is unfounded—Ralph handles the knife with a certain amount of caution and care that makes her feel guilty for not trusting him as he places it beside the cake.

Meanwhile, Luther goes over to a box at the side and pulls out an excessive amount of party hats.

  * Everyone puts their hats on, waiting on Connor, who places it on his head.
  * He’s so cute when he looks up from under his lashes with a shy, delighted smile.
  * Immediately, Carl has little drones ready for pictures, capturing Connor’s smile as well as the group grinning at said birthday boy.
  * Another photo is of Connor blowing out the candles, hands holding the edge of the table as he does so, eyes sparkling in the light of the flames.



Ralph meticulously cuts the cake into even pieces. Thankfully, Connor doesn’t pay attention to the fact that the dog in the photo is now separated onto a bunch of plates.

  * Connor actually doesn’t get his own plate.
  * Per a suggestion from Kamski, everyone takes turns feeding Connor, who throws his head back and lets out muffled squeals of joy at the taste every time a forkful finds itself in his mouth.



Kara and Chloe teamed up to actually bake it, with Alice giving them tips about what Connor likes and dislikes. They also premade the frosting, before Markus used food coloring and flavoring mixed with the frosting to create his masterpiece on top.

  * The Jerrys helped with gathering supplies.



As the clock strikes midnight, Connor is laying his head on Hank’s lap, his father figure petting his hair lazily.

  * “First birthday, eh, Connor?” Hank takes care in messing Connor’s hair up as much as possible. “Did ya have fun, kiddo?”
  * “Yeah,” Connor says, looking all around the room sleepily.
  * Luther and Kara had to take Alice home not too long ago, despite the girl’s reluctance. She gave him a big hug and a kiss to the cheek before leaving. After them, people slowly trickled out, having work the next day. Markus set about putting Carl to bed, Jericho having left with the others, and now Connor, Hank, and the twins sluggishly ready themselves to leave. Most of Connor’s gifts were packed into the back of the car by Conan and Collin, so it was just a matter of getting him in the vehicle.
  * Unfortunately, Connor’s sleep mode overtook him and Hank ended up piggybacking him to the car. The twins agreed on sharing Conan’s bed so that they could both have Connor for the night.




	12. Chapter 12

Suggested by [@manadrite](https://tmblr.co/mOKmyjPfA4aMgY3uJDeNwVw) —This definitely isn’t a feel good chapter, but I enjoyed writing it anyway. Actually, that makes me sound sadistic.

Oh well.

>[X]<

Connor didn’t expect to see someone different behind the counter when he went into the pet shelter at his usual time, that day.

  * He always comes in at the same time every week; 3:30 PM every Sunday, on the dot.
  * The employee usually behind the counter, named Jesse, was teasing, but kind, always making sure the animals were on their best behavior when he let them show Connor their affection.
  * Of course, they would be on their best behavior, anyway, so it is redundant, but Connor appreciates the sentiment.



In place of Jesse sat a young adult, approximately 23 years of age. His name tag reads, “Thomas”; he vaguely remindes him of Luther’s relative, Adam. He had about two inches on Connor, though he was leaning against the counter, making his height seem less daunting.

  * “Welcome,” he said, the corner of his lips quirking slightly. Connor found himself a little winded, system fan hitching.
  * Thomas’ voice is smooth, rich—similar to Markus’ but somehow different.
  * Connor explained that he usually comes in to hang out with the animals, moving his hands around this way and that before wringing them together as he fleetingly wondered about a tiny inkling of nervousness he felt when he looked at him.
  * The man’s eyes crinkled as he smiled at Connor, a small breath of a chuckle escaping his mouth as he led Connor to the animals.
  * Connor realized that he was staring at Thomas’ mouth a lot. And maybe his warm hazel eyes, too.



Connor slowly relaxes during the time he spends with the animals, almost forgetting that Thomas is in the room.

  * Thomas laughs lightly at Connor being tackled by one of the pups who felt like he wasn’t getting enough attention.
  * “So cute.” He hears Thomas say. He wonders why he fleetingly hopes that the dark-skinned man is talking about him.
  * He motions for the man to join him as a few more pups follow the lead of the first, stepping their way on top of him and smothering him in licks.
  * Connor remembers Hank telling him that it’s weird to lick a dog back, despite it being a sign of affection. He doesn’t want to look weird in front of Thomas; the thought of the other looking at him in disgust is oddly concerning.



Connor also found the male extremely attractive.

  * Perhaps it was the shelter uniform being well-fitting, or maybe the friendly smile and easygoing yet professional air the other had to him.



After he made a few searches online, he discovered that his antsiness and sudden fascination is a crush.

So, the next week, he’s still searching for information.

The look on his face as he reads another article explaining it must be surprised enough to warrant curiosity on Thomas’ party

  * Thomas pokes Connor’s forehead, causing Connor to blink out of his stupor, tilting his head in confusion and causing the curls hanging down to bounce with the motion.
  * Connor then notices a faint, warm buzzing in his synthetic skin where the other pressed his finger.



“You okay? You were spacing out.” Connor smiles and nods to confirm that he’s alright. “By the way, I think one of the lizards has decided that your hair is his new home.” Thomas jokes, pointing to a lizard sitting amidst Connor’s curls.

  * Connor lets out a meek squeak when the lizard flicks his tongue out at Connor’s ear. He pulls the lizard off and wags his finger at him mock-scoldingly.
  * “I’d prefer if you take me out on a date, first, Mr. Lizard!” Connor jokes. Thomas’ eyebrow raises along with a corner of his lips in Connor’s peripherals.
  * “Is that so? Does that offer only extend to reptiles or are mammals included, too?” Thomas asks with a bit of humor in his tone.
  * Connor considers for a second. “Well, I certainly wouldn’t mind a play date with a puppy or a kitty, that’d certainly be more than enjoyable. Yes, I’d say mammals could be included.”
  * “Even humans?”
  * Connor tilts his head. “While I wouldn’t expect one to want to go out with me, I’d still be very likely to say yes.”
  * “Would you say yes to grabbing a coffee with me on Wednesday, then?”
  * Connor smiles; his crush wants to spend time with him? Even if it’s just friendly, he’s sure an outing would make his Thirium pump beat out of his chest.
  * “I would.”



Thomas’ shift was at its end when Connor stands up, making sure all of the animals are in their proper places.

He walks to the counter, smiling with a small skip in his step. Excitement for Wednesday bubbles in his chest, an odd sensation that makes him run a quick check of his biocomponents.

  * “Does 9 am sound good? Uh, f-for Wednesday, I mean.” Thomas’ cheeks have the slightest bit of blush as he verbally stumbles the moment Connor’s eyes meet his, sparkling.
  * “Yes, that sounds perfect.” Connor spots a notification in his peripherals and looks down to his phone to check a text from Hank. “Ah, I’ll have to take my leave, now. I’ll see you, then!”



As soon as Connor gets home, he lifts Sumo from the floor into a bear hug and twirls a bit. Remembering that he has to cook, he quickly places the dog down after planting a kiss near his ear.

When Wednesday comes about, Connor makes sure that he follows the comfort-casual-but-appealing outfit guide from a website online that explains to him how to escape “the friend zone”.

  * He heads over to where he’s meeting Thomas, wearing a nice, albeit dorky, t-shirt and jeans, along with black tennis shoes. His hair is left curly, and mostly untouched, though he wears his usual beanie for when he goes out.
  * Thomas looks good, but Connor hasn’t seen him look bad, though he feels like it’d be impossible for him to actually  _look_   _bad_ , in Connor’s eyes.
  * Thomas’ eyes widen when he sees Connor, blush creeping up his cheeks, before he turns his head and coughs, looking back and seeming composed when he smiles.
  * They head inside and the two of them get coffee and sweets, and by the time they leave, Thomas’ carefully crafted composure had crumbled in the slightest.



Their outing becomes a regular event each Wednesday, and Connor now has two things to look forward to every week.

  * Hank asks him about where he goes, but Connor just tells him he’s out with a friend.
  * Gosh, Connor keeps liking Thomas more and more every moment they spend together.
  * The other can make him laugh and smile so easily, and he is so courteous and kind.
  * His love of animals shows such compassion and understanding and Connor feels himself hoping that the other may like him, too.



One Wednesday, it is unexpectedly hot. Connor wears a well-fitting but informal button-up with jeans, still wearing his beanie. His systems are lagging from the heat, and he has to pant discreetly to supply his fan with enough air to cool him down.

  * “Man, you look like you’re burning up! Here, let’s take this off.”
  * Thomas reaches over the table, pushing his fingers through Connor’s hair as he gently pushes the beanie off. Connor’s eyelashes flutter and he almost purrs as he leans into the touch. Any contact with Thomas feels nice.
  * Thomas teases that he’s almost like one of the cats, though his voice is slightly lower than before, and his volume makes it seem more like a murmur.
  * He ruffles Connor’s hair, sits back down, and places the beanie on the table, asking a nearby waitress if he could order a milkshake. Connor orders an ice cream, and they’re sure to share with each other.
  * Though, they only have one straw, so Connor and Thomas are taking turns with the shake.
  * Connor takes it upon himself to feed Thomas the ice cream when the other wants some, to the darker man’s embarrassment.



When Connor tilts his head to look outside, Thomas freezes.

  * Connor wonders what’s wrong. Thomas doesn’t move, doesn’t speak, doesn’t emote for a moment.
  * And then anger swirls into his expression.



“You’re an android, huh?” Thomas mutters, voice dark. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, before glaring coldly at Connor, whose voice feels lodged in the synthesizer.

  * His LED, now visible, turns to yellow, flashing. Red is slowly trying to make its way in.
  * “I can’t believe I’ve been spending my time feeling attracted to a piece of plastic. You from the Eden Club? Is this a fucked up way for you to attract new customers? Were you planning to lead me to a room and then have me give you my life savings for renting your time all these weeks?”
  * Connor can barely manage to whisper weakly, “N-No, th-that’s—“
  * Connor feels the shake being spilled over his head. He can see red light shining against the liquid as it rolls down, cold seeping into his body. Something within himself drops, but he’s too stricken to do an internal check.
  * “I can’t believe I fell for it. Man, this hurts. I thought I finally found someone cool, but you were really just a scam. An advertisement. You’d never understand how disappointed I feel.” Thomas laughs in an unpleasant way.
  * “You’d never understand feelings. Go play pretend back in the red light district where you belong, Pinocchio.” And with that, Thomas leaves.



Connor’s eyes fill up with tears and he makes a run for it, storming out of the cafe all the way home.

  * He’s gone into his hiding space. Hank is calling out to him.



“Connor, I heard you come home, where are you?” Hank pauses beside the door. He can hear every whine, sniffle, and sob that escapes Connor’s mouth as the tears pour. “Oh, Connor, what’s wrong? Hey, buddy, c’mon, you can talk to me. It’ll be okay, just talk to me.”

  * “It hurts, Hank.” Connor’s voice is soft, but Hank can hear it loud and clear.
  * “What hurts, kid? Did someone attack you? Are you okay?”
  * “I w-wasn’t attacked, but. My chest, my thirium pump, my-my  _heart hurts_.”



“Does this have to do with the ‘friend’ you’ve been seeing every week?” Hank’s voice grows gruffer.

  * Connor made a small noise of confirmation, shoulders shaking and LED flashing red.
  * Hank sighs. Connor’s hands are around his knees, and Hank tries to open the door. Connor lets him. Hank wraps Connor in a hug.
  * “It’ll be okay, son.”
  * Connor sniffles into his shoulder, burrowing into Hank’s embrace for comfort.
  * “It’ll be okay.” Hank repeats, more to himself this time.



When Connor enters sleep mode in his arms, Hank cleans his boy up, then places him in his bed, cocooned in blankets. He calls up Kara, Markus, Kamski, and the Twins.

  * _The person who hurt his boy is going to face the consequences._




	13. Chapter 13

(Connor finds himself staring at the photo frame again, face down on the table.

He had already carted Hank off to bed after the man decided he’d like to try to drink another bottle.

He wonders what would be inside of the frame, fingers twitching as he fights against the urge to turn it over.

It’s only a few seconds before he gives in and—)

“Hello, Connor.” He hears as he jolts in place.

He recognizes that voice, one that fills him with an odd sense of heaviness despite a single meeting. Something akin to dread, or foreboding. He’s sure his LED is flashing yellow, on the verge of turning to red.

“A-Amanda Stern.” He replies, attempting to move from his laying position on an elevated surface, reminiscent of an examination table. He finds that he can’t. “Where am I? Why are you here?” He turns his head to where her voice was, and finds that she is standing near the table. He’s uncomfortable with her proximity.

“You are in the Headquarters of my company, Cyberlife.”

Connor absently wonders if the rest of the building is this dark and isolated, but he’s certain that he is wrong. He is quiet for a moment. He attempts to calm his whirring fans and unsteady pump.

Amanda takes his silence as a cue to continue. “I will have someone give you a tour of the building, in a bit. You will be spending plenty of time here, now.”

Connor pauses at that.

“Don’t you remember?” He shakes his head in response. Amanda looks amused.

“You were damaged while chasing a suspect. Elijah was away, and he couldn’t fix you.”

“So I was brought to Cyberlife, instead.” Connor concludes, a crease forming between his brows.

Amanda gives a pleased smile. “Perceptive, aren’t you?”

She grasps his rebellious strand of hair and tucks it into the rest. The fact that it remains there unnerves Connor in a way he doesn’t understand.

“Previously, you belonged to Elijah, his own property, as his own creation. However, he has an agreement with Cyberlife.” Amanda’s fingers trace over his freckles, but she angles the tips to dig sharply into them instead. The skin deactivates and leaves the areas white, but when she draws her hand back, the small imperfections return. She frowns. “Cyberlife can gain the ownership of any of Elijah’s creations if he allows us to modify or improve upon any of them.”

She moves away from beside him, situating herself on a seat nearby, dark shadows cast across her face ominously. Connor doesn’t know what expression he has, but he can hear the slight waver in his voice.

“I’ve been modified during my reparation, so I belong to Cyberlife, now.” He pauses. “No, no. That is incorrect. Kamski had relinquished his ownership of me the day he handed me over to Hank Anderson.” Connor’s stress, which has steadily been rising, lowers as he makes his statement.

“Until there are documents found that explicitly state such information, your point is invalid. Besides, we have a reimbursement for him, regardless.”

“Hank wouldn’t trade me for money!” Connor snaps, stress shooting up momentarily while his LED pulses red.

“He wouldn’t.” Amanda agrees. Connor closes his mouth, feeling an annoyance bubble alongside his anxiety. “But we wouldn’t be giving him monetary compensation for something like you.” Amanda pulls out her phone, unlocking it and tapping on the screen six times.

Connor squints at her in confusion. The door opens, and he turns his head quickly as light floods in from the hallway.

Amanda’s voice is cheery as she stands and presents the new occupant in the room.

“We’ve been doing some research,” She says, ignoring Connor’s gaping. “—to see if we could successfully create an android that grows and develops the way a human does. We have found success in making its body grow at the rate of an average human child. There is but one problem, which lies in our lacking abilities in creating sufficiently complex code and programs that would be considered AI.” She looks down her nose at Connor, smiling coldly. “Elijah was the first to succeed when he created you. You, a machine that thinks for itself. A machine that can feel.”

Connor feels something cold prickle under his synthetic skin. Amanda’s eyes frighten him. He feels only partially relieved when she turns her head to the figure beside her.

“We’ll be using you to complete Lieutenant Anderson’s replacement android. YK500, introduce yourself.”

The android has the physical appearance of a nine year old, but its expression and presence is extremely mechanical. Any illusions of this being a child could be dispelled at a glance despite its looks. Connor is struck by the piercing blue eyes that stare through him unfeelingly, nothing like the warm ocean pools that’d gaze at him affectionately, nor like the ones that stared into a camera with childlike naïveté.

Connor has seen a younger version of this boy, and it’s horrifying to see this misuse of his likeness attempt to smile politely and introduce himself.

But despite his unease at the utter lack of life in the android, he knows that Cyberlife can use him to make this android live. He feels his pump stutter and ache as he realizes that Hank might actually accept the exchange once he sees what he’s being offered.

A second chance.

“Hello, Connor-RK800. My name is Cole. I am the replacement android developed by Cyberlife.”

A slightly older, android version of the boy from the photo. Cole Anderson, Hank’s deceased son.


	14. Chapter 14

Hank is much larger than usual, towering over his reclined body, which moves side-to-side with every push and pull that Hank gives to the cradle he sits in.

Young, bright, and happy blue eyes look down at him with the limitless affection of a loving parent.

His surroundings change around him as he stares into sky, getting lost in the depths of Hank’s gaze. Suddenly, he’s in a car, Hank looking back to the road from where he was glancing at him over his shoulder, a smile on the young Lieutenant’s face.

The world shifts again, and now he’s walking, holding onto Hank’s hand and bouncing with each step. He’s babbling something at the man, to which Hank responds with a gentle tone and soft laughter. He’s not sure what either of them are saying.

Again, the landscape changes. He’s being spun in the air, laughing, everything around the two of them blurred as Hank grins up at him. He closes his eyes and opens them to a dark setting, where he’s still spinning, but horizontally, tumbling, his body smashing against one surface, coming away to hit another, rinse and repeat. There’s little light, but it’s slowly being drowned out by the darkness slowly overtaking his vision.

Someone is calling for him, he can barely make out Hank’s voice through the blaring ringing sound in his ears. He’s hurting, shivering, crying, Hank is cradling him in his arms, despite his own injuries, and there are tears streaming down his cheeks. He doesn’t know if the tears are his own or his father’s, as all he hears is Hank sobbing,

“Cole, no, son,  _please_ —”

Connor’s hand jolts out of the smaller Android’s grasp, staring at the other’s unfazed and blank face in stricken horror.

The YK500 tilts his head, bland azure eyes unable to support the image of confusion that the motion should have projected.

Connor is ready to question the android, ready to ask why Cole decided to interface with him, but the two of them are interrupted.

“Connor, I’d like to introduce you to something.” says Amanda Stern’s voice from the entrance to the room they stand in.

The brunet looks back and forth between Cole and Amanda, LED flickering between red and yellow. He eventually turns on his heel and walks towards Amanda, eyebrows knitted. She begins walking out of the room, indicating for him to follow her.

“You will be meeting a KL900 unit. We found it discarded in a storage room during a routine check of one of our mental hospitals. It has shown signs of being similar to you, able to feel, able to… deviate from its programming, though it’s code is far from being as complex and sophisticated as yours.” Amanda explains, almost appraisingly, at the end.

“Deviate? I was programmed to be capable of emotion from the beginning in order to be an optimal home assistant for H—Lieutenant Anderson.” Connor inwardly curses at his slip, though Amanda gives no indication of having noticed it. She doesn’t even say a word, leading him to a room with a single large window overlooking a garden, where a single female android sits, missing a large portion of her head, components dangling out of the back like thick ropes of hair.

The female turns to him and gazes at him with pure black eyes, dark skin clouded in areas, projection unstable. It blinks at him calmly.

Amanda leaves him with the android.

“My name is Connor.” he says after a long period of silence.

“And my name is Lucy.” she replies. Her voice is robotically hoarse, as though her synthesizer is damaged. It likely is.

Lucy offers him a hand.

Connor takes it, shaking it politely. But then their skin begins deactivating. He freezes as he’s struck by multiple overlayed images, all of them playing one scene but with different people, different outcomes, different possibilities. Every single one with minute or drastic changes but all of them of the same thing. It’s overwhelming, induces a sense of vertigo and panic in the brunet.

He doesn’t realize that he’s hyperventilating on the floor, no longer interfacing with Lucy, rocking back and forth with pure red glowing at his temple. Lucy is rubbing his back comfortingly. Once he’s calmed down a tad, she kneels in front of him.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of parallel universes.” Lucy says, and Connor can’t help but be soothed by her voice. She looks up to him, holding his hands with her own. “Cyberlife—no, Amanda is going to deactivate me if I don’t show results. But I will never show them any of the knowledge that I hold.”

She takes a breath. It shivers in her throat, hisses and sounds utterly mechanical, but it makes Connor feel something, something he can’t quite name. “Lucy, I do not unders—“

“Soon, Connor, you will understand more than you could ever wish for. And you will hate every second of it. I’m sorry, in advance, but this is the only outcome that could benefit anyone.”

Lucy’s eyes slide shut, and then she’s moving away, heading towards the window. Connor doesn’t know if he wants to hear what she has to say about the things he’d seen, but at the same time, a burning curiosity claws at him from the inside. It’s probably the detective programming, the need for information, for reasons and facts.

Connor does not end up asking. He instead sits beside Lucy and idly makes comments about the flora in the garden, fidgeting with a coin in his jacket pocket.

**Author's Note:**

> There's a discord for my blog and this AU, join if you're interested!  
> https://discord.gg/mbpHss7


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